Customer Reviews

The Making of the Atom Bomb (World History Series)

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This book describes the creation of the atomic bomb from the original ideas up to the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As with all scientific developments, the bomb started as an idea in Albert Einstein's head. In 1938, two German scientists split the uranium atom and detected lighter elements. About the same time, Hitler drove the Jewish scientists out of Europe, with most of them fleeing to the United States. World War II brought on a race between the Germans and the Americans to make an atomic weapon. The American Manhatten Project achieved the first controlled nuclear reaction in 1942. The first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico, in July of 1945. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Nagasaki was bombed on August 9 of 1945 as well. This was the beginning of the atomic age.

I would recommend the book to people who like fast moving nonfiction. I, myself, enjoyed the book because it was a factual presentation of how the atomic bomb was made. I also enjoyed reading about the problems and struggles that people faced. It was amazing to read about how one particular scientist came up with a theory that led to the actual creation of the atomic bomb. As you can see, this is one book I would greatly recommend. However, if a person is looking for an adventurous nonfiction book, this is not the book to read.

My favorite part of the book involved the scientists working to figure out the uranium atom and then spliting it. It was very interesting to see how they went about this. In addition, I learned a lot about atoms, neutrons, protons, and electrons. This part of the book made me want to learn more about physics, fission, and fusion. Overall, this was the most exciting part of the whole fantastic book for me.

The Making of the Atom Bomb is a wonderful book. It presents the accomplishments of some of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century in terms that are accessible to lay readers. It recounts in scintillating detail how their discoveries were appropriated from the realm of science into the brutal domain of world war. Despite its length the book is almost impossible to put down, and it is as morally provocative as it is historically astute.